2018 Election Specia
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E T A D I D N A C SU
S N O I T C E L E
U S h ic h w e s o o h c o t Vote now g n ti n e s e r p e r e b l Officers wil YOU next year • The Manifestos • Interviews • Analysis
Cover design: Olly Bailey
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Meet the Editors... Tasha Jokic, Deputy Editor-in-Chief & Online Editor
Tasha is a wannabe hipster who secretly wishes that emo was still a thing. When she’s not banging out articles before a deadline, she can be found banging drums. Her dedication to Moles is so strong she was once mistaken for a club Rep. In her spare time, she has been rumoured to be pursuing a degree. impact-deputy@bath.ac.uk
Siân Maria Morgan, Deputy Editor-in-Chief & Print Editor
Siân is a half Argentine, half Welsh girl who was born and raised in Cyprus. She is happiest when she has falafel and hummus in each hand. Studying a Masters in International Relations, don’t get her talking about Argentine politics - she’ll never shut up. She loves challenging people’s opinion on vegans through the power of hypnosis/good vegan food. impact-deputy@bath.ac.uk
Emilia Pilss, Features Editor
Emilia is a European studying Politics with Economics. A true European soul, she will forever strive to educate her British colleagues about her beloved culture, be it Viennese coffee, Baroque architecture or Beethoven. Despite this loyalty, she has come to truly appreciate English culture having taken particularly well to day drinking, grime music and G&T’s. impact-features@bath.ac.uk
Olly Bailey, Design Editor
Olly is a Biochem student who can frequently been seen in Indie rock bands playing sweet, sweet guitar. He is happy to give training on InDesign and answer any and all questions about how the magazine is put together. impact-design@bath.ac.uk
Victoria Duley, News and Comments Editor Victoria is a French kid who talks a lot (including politics) and to anyone she ever encounters. She still rides the trolleys in the supermarket and tries to fit in the indie music scene. Her endless curiosity has taken her to quite a few places and she keeps a solid commitment to impact-news@bath.ac.uk
Michael Boniface, Sport Editor
Michael is a sports-mad, bargain-hungry guy who simply loves cloudy apple juice. Not one to watch a film three times or keep going back to the same cafe, he likes to explore the slightly odder sights of Bath. Big fan of groovy tunes. impact-sports@bath.ac.uk
From the Editors’ Desk.... The SU Officer Elections is always a strange time to be on campus, whether it’s posing in a cardboard frame urging people to vote or collecting what feels like your hundredth flyer as you manoeuvre your way down parade. This election period feels especially strange for me, as being the role of acting Editor-In-Chief has meant that this is my first year not on a campaign team (although I was admittedly never exactly a crucial member of any such team). Beyond a few practical worries, I’ve undoubtedly enjoyed getting to see another side to the elections that reaches beyond one candidate. Moreover, there’s a strange mix in final year where I feel like I am at my most involved in student life yet won’t be here to actually experience the changes made next year. I have to take this moment to congratulate all of the candidates, regardless of the outcome of the election. This undoubtedly seems like one of the more gruelling job application processes out there, and any person who is willing to take on both the logistical and personal challenges of organising a campaign is likely deserving of the role at the end of it all. It takes a lot of guts to put yourself out on the line like that, and I would encourage anyone reading these manifestos to bear that in mind. Finally, I am well aware that plenty of students see little point in SU elections; it was the inspiration behind our debate piece on the next page. I would encourage anyone, regardless of previous thoughts on the SU, to get as involved as possible with the elections process and to challenge the candidates on their potential. And, of course, remember to vote! Tasha Jokic, Deputy Editor-In-Chief, Online Editor
ELECTIONS SPECIAL
DEBATE
Are SU elections still relevant? YES
Gemma Barnett
NO
By Tito Mogaji-Williams
ue students, d s. t n e s re p re e emselv t directly ersities tha eal to the students thdemics but iv n u t a y d d aca at app nior bo the only se sed on manifestos thot only of students ann as the voices of y tl n e rr u c a b ,n are itio SU officers that they are elected resent many interestsfficers retain their pos anding the gym last p t p o x c e re U fa e t S ntal c s t to the ersities mu lders, it is crucial tha ectly helped to influen promote environme the iv n u rn e d help hout e dir areho As mo rlooked wit ish group to officers hav ople and sh businesspe . Indeed, at Bath, SU eduction Task and Fin as may have been ove is is a proposal that the studentsioneering the Waste R emely likely these are Regarding the gym, th thus demonstrates year, and p y on campus. It is extrision-making process. a demographic, whichSU officers embody. sustainabilit SU officers in the dec ly benefit students as egotiations; of which ice of the students f presence o and almost exclusive nt voice in university n y ensure that the vorsity that may have y tl c e unive stude se the ir will d of having a still relevant becau hanges made within e c n a rt o p c re te sa the im s for concre SU election Therefore, d this has implication is heard an ot been actualised. otherwise n
The ideals behind th tives for the various e formation of Student Unions and th ties and,more recent aspects of the university, namely: spor e creation of student representakeep students as engaly, post-graduate representation are co t, education, communities, activimpletely valid and sh to bring about chan ged as possible. But while these ideas of ow ge inclusivity and innova a desire to and progress on pape presented with, the tion ap r, w ith the neatly crafte real power to make d manifestos that w pear often enclosed behind decisions that truly go e are the governing board. bureaucracy, unaccountability and th vern the fate of the university is e with staff and the ov We’ve seen the combined actions of an much more powerful interests of Vice-chancellor and erall student body united in their desire unusually activist Student Union, lation to Council anddeclare our complete lack of confidence to topple our over-privileged Bath ‘in the University Go Breakwell enjoys an Remuneration Committee’. And yet, seve vernance in reey governing structure e-watering ‘golden handshake’ of £600 ral months later, our Dame Glynis and truly powerful, thhave exempted themselves from our cr ,000 and the rest of the university itique. If our SU was is would not happen . both militant
e dy must b o b t n e d u at a st that the idea th nge. The reality is s u in d le fficers e instil ial cha e and soc at its SU o taries hav h n ic t t e s n m ju u io r t c a ay o t fo hungry and 70s d tuating m his expec ly s t c t e e n lm r ff a e fi e t s h f s t n o a t o is h r c why less. en pa ivists, As muc nature; so SU officers have be e nonethe ilitant act g is n m h a t , h e f c r o o e t c rt o iv hard y that the been a pa dies are n and effect it o e t s b v r n a t e a t h n r iv e s n o r d u p e u t s as im U offic ative nges a many st st the cha represent w te its statu vements that the S il a g h g in e W e n ? b t e o U b n must must f our S impro to ho ear 2018, dical, this blematic o d solely in relation a Y r e m h e m t e e f r e o as a s y t m it no ographic; measure m ge and gy rt Univers e e o la b d p il ’ t S s V o t ’ g s n n e e n in hants SU ca As Tim s Train its stud ess of an the Sport shouting c he ot reflect c g c d n u n s in a S e d r . s o r s a d t e g n n is e of r stude g ban hen th n nor t nes, wavin not the expectatio eds of the ey are, especially w li e t n e e k h ic t p f vant, f o re still rele ft-wing th an SU at the front o ity’s students, it is a le s r n o io t l’ c a ic le ‘rad hilst s SU e nivers ts. in Bath. W by studen e of our U t union officers. Thu e d s m e a o t c s n f e a o h t w is en eam nge their Stud bly the dr ut the cha is undenia ost at Bath have for sful in bringing abo tm cces desire tha greatly su e r a s r e c offi and their I don’t think it is parti cularly utopian to ex pect our Student Un posed to the techno ion to be more polit cratic and more man ical, as opagerial space that it union when taken in cu rrently occupies. The its most literal sense, point of a is to fight and advoca of its members. The te for the rights and Student Union does interests fight for students un and schemes such as deniably with many the Good Night Out pr og rammes . But largely, a lot of keeping the universit its approach seems y happy through the to involve slowest and most pi approach has allowed ecemeal concessions the SU to play a larg . Yes, this e role in organising Fr pain and financial di esher’s Week. But w stress caused by high hat of the rents and poor-qualit our SU officers stood y housing in Bath. W idly by as these rent hy have s increase while our higher pay? Where is university higher-ups the unflinching com en jo y ever m itment to challengin where it genuinely ne g the university esta eds the critique? A St blishment udent Union must do the campaigns bein more than pay lip-ser g fought by workers vice to , minorities, and stud whether that be the ents for our rights an UCU strike, a strong d needs, environmental agen da, or boycotts of th e NSS.
t of SU officers, this is no le ro e th ing rd ga re s ger a s be disparity in opinion nt the officers are no lon ue eq ns Whilst there will alway co by d an s on herwise feel gue that SU electi dent voice, which can ot grounds sufficient to ar stu e th te ina m illu lp te he rsity. They rs. With the current deba lde ho ke sta relevant part to our unive d an t en em as a whole, sea of senior manag ketization of university ar m drowned out amongst a d an ce an rn ve go r the ancellor, senio r to give prevalence to de or in , ain surrounding our Vice Ch m re rs ce e than ever that SU offi it is important now mor portant to students. interests that are most im The questio derstood. T n of power within the u citizenship ahe role of SU officer an niversity framework is Elections arend student engageme d the actual SU electioone I hope I have dras der the drac relevant, at least, bec nt. But these seem to b ns offer hope of demotically misunmeaningful, onian rule of bureaucra ause they offer the pretee hopes, rather than thcracy, active university. B financial and structural ts and the privileged. Bu nce that Bath is not co e reality. SU say, my scep oth staff and students change that would deli t whether they are able mpletely unve fo ticism may b to e correct. r that matter. That is ar justice for the margina affect the nother ques li tion, where sed in this I dread to
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The Beginning of the End Bath Time sat down with current SU officers Ben Davies, Ben Palmer, Will Galloway, Chloe Page and Liam Emery to hear more about their year and what candidates can expect.
What has been the best thing about your role? WG: Working with the students to make changes that really make a difference to their experience. Plus, two extra years of Score. BP: The variety of things that I can get involved with, I feel like the opportunity to get involved with almost every department and activity is great. It’s not boring, because every day is different. CP: Being at the heart of the action: the University’s biggest initiative at the moment is transforming the curriculum so it’s been great to see that come into fruition and lay the groundwork for next year’s officers. What has been the greatest challenge? BD: It has to have come from the changes in the VC and governance, mainly ensuring that the strength of student opinion is expressed both to local and national media as well as to the University. Also, maintaining that relationship – the SU doesn’t get a lot of stuff done without the backing of the University. If I had come at it all guns blazing, it could have had a very different outcome. I’ve been told by members of staff that we were playing a very thin line and it easily could have gone either way. LE: The biggest challenge I’ve had has been showing how different postgrads are to undergrads and trying to relay this to the university and the SU. Postgrads are lot more diverse, and I think the fact my role exists shows they haven’t been catered to. A lot of people say that my job is the hardest in the officer team. BP: Work-life balance, juggling the sheer amount of workload. I live in the same building, in the first semester I found it difficult to detach my personal life from my work life as most of my friends from last year are on placement - my life is almost completely based here. What did you wish you knew beforehand? CP: The influence that officers have across the university community, I think if I had known the kind of esteem that we’re held in by a lot of the university colleagues I would have put my best foot forward and been more confident with the challenges I was faced with from the beginning. BP: I wish I knew that I didn’t have to do everything, my remit is so broad and I care about all the things within it – it’s hard to decline work or meetings or projects because they’re important for me and students. Really prioritise, I definitely spread myself too thin in my first semester.
Do you feel you’ve achieved what you set out to do? LE: Yes and no. No because I’ve achieved other things that I didn’t even think when I was running as a postgraduate taught student, such as benefits that might be specific to doctoral students. Yes, because I think that postgrads are getting more involved with the SU - the stats show us that things are getting better. BD: Yes. If anything, I’ve achieved more – I couldn’t have predicted so much of this year. My manifesto is essentially done, I’ve gotten everything I wanted out of this year. It’s why I decided to do another year, to take on more responsibility, and I’ll be quite pleased in my year in the role – assuming there are no major surprises! What do you hope the next officer will bring to the role? WG: Fresh ideas – that’s what keeps the SU interesting and relevant. Not throwing everything away that we’ve previously done, but making changes that are relevant to the students here. BD: I hope that they will continue to bring about some positive change for students. It will be a very exciting chance with a new VC, there are endless possibilities for what can happen with the student experience. We may end up getting a new library...things that we’ve been after for a while. After all, the new Bath Spa VC decided to cancel their meetings with academics and meet the SU President on the first day! They need to make sure they champion everyone and not just the loudest – the loudest don’t often represent the student body.
Why are SU elections important? WG: Because the officers genuinely set the direction of the SU, they get given the opportunity to represent what’s important to students and electing the right people to do that makes all the difference to the students there CP: They’re important because SU officers represent the student voice – not all students might feel engaged with the SU, but we use a lot of methods to reach across the students and present opinions. Without those students leading the SU, student opinion wouldn’t be represented in the same way it is. Any advice for the candidates? BP: Look after your own welfare. It’s going to be an exciting but intense week and it’s just temporary. If you do win, this will be a taste of some of the intensity you’ll experience. LE: Over half of our postgraduate students are international; I hope this is fully considered. What’s next for you? me.
WG: I want to continue working in higher education sport, so it might not be the last Bath sees of
BP: I’ll be going back into my final year of Social Science. Beyond that, I would consider being a SAB again – but we’ll see! I’m also quite interested in going into local politics. LE: For the first time in my life I won’t have the next thing planned before finishing my current role. At 24, I’m very happy to spend some time working out what I really want to do afterwards. CP: I have a job as a research officer in the civil service fast stream, so I’ll be moving to London with my partner. BD: I’m applying for grad jobs at the moment, mainly in consulting.
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Manifestos Your chance to read what this year’s CANDIDATES are proposing they would do if they win the ELECTION and why you should VOTE for them.
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PRESIDENT
Eve Alcock
You should feel that your SU truly represents and supports you during your time at Bath. This manifesto is built on conversations I’ve had with many of you so that it reflects the wants and needs of the student body, ensuring that you’re steering the direction of your Students’ Union: The Vice Chancellor aka ‘Glexit’ • Ensure the HEFCE recommendations are fully implemented and continue to push for transparency throughout Glynis’ departure and thereafter • Form a positive relationship with the new VC that ensures accountability but also collaboration so that student issues are firmly at the front of their agenda • Establish a quarterly forum allowing you to ask questions to senior management Study Space • Library Extension – a viable option with Glynis gone • Investigate the possibility of converting Virgil Building’s courtyard into study space • Create an interactive map of study spaces on campus so you know where you can work Buses • • • •
More reliable U1 weekend provision Lobby First to link the GPS on buses to an app so you can see where buses are in real time Extend U2 running hours until midnight and introduce weekend service Shuttle services during peak times up and down Bathwick and dedicated services to Green Park
Housing • Hold Accommodation Services to account over exactly what student rent income is being spent on • Ensure any new accommodation blocks on campus and in the city are accessible and affordable • Create a student accessible database of students’ experiences of landlords and houses to increase pres sure on landlords to maintain acceptable private housing standards What about the SU? • Monthly Facebook live streams for SU updates and Q&As with the officer team • Work with Media from an early stage to develop a publicity strategy to increase their exposure on Cam -pus, boosting audience and membership • Ensure the move of SU finances to an effective and efficient online system • Work with student leaders to further develop thesubath’s website • Create resources showing which SU Staff you need to speak to for your queries - minimising your time wasted • Develop the Politics and Activism area in a way that better works for the affiliated groups Let’s talk about you • Ensure the curriculum reflects the diverse student body • Fight for prompt, accessible and effective mental health support on campus and ensure the sustainabil -ity of the #NeverOK campaign work • Organise activities all year round that help relieve your general university stress. Think Inflatables, ball pits and pop-up cinemas! The Big Picture • Ensure your voice is heard nationally through a close involvement with NUS • Challenge the marketisation of higher education at every opportunity I’ve had the most amazing time at Bath thanks to the SU. I’d love the opportunity to lead the organisation so that you can make the most of your time here too. I believe I can do it. Do you? #BelieveInEve and Vote Eve for SU President. Become a beliEVEr and follow the campaign!
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- Facebook.com/eveforprez - Twitter: @evealcock - Instagram: evealcock - Snapchat: evealcock
Under New Management Next year we will have a new Vice-Chancellor and this is the opportunity to change how the University is governed. As SU President, I will: Bridge the gap between students, senior management and staff by establishing re spectful, constructive and open dialogue. • Push for both an annual VC address to students and a less formal Q&A, so that there is recognition of what they do and a greater sense of accountability towards the student body. Increase student and staff representation on committees at every level of the University, securing our say in big decisions. Encourage senior management engagement with the student body via student media interviews and other related content.
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Rent & Overcrowding Ultimately, we have too many students in Bath and this means that rent is high and space is sparse. As SU President, I will: • Create links between accommodation services and students who voice concerns to ensure the cost of rent is justified. • Look for additional space to work and socialise on campus, focusing on using existing space more efficient -ly. • Increase signposting of available space across campus, including online, real-time monitoring and commu -nication of availability. Buses FirstGroup have a monopoly on buses this year, so students are left with little choice. As SU President, I will: • •
Make sure students are getting value for money with the bus tickets they buy. Ensure that we are utilising space optimally, using each stand for a different bus and having a departures board on Parade.
SU/Student relationship The SU is here to represent and support you during your time at University. I want to make sure you know who your Officers are and what they’re doing. As SU President, I will: • • •
Take time to listen to your concerns by ensuring all Officers spend at least one hour a week talking to and engaging with a variety of students across campus. Initiate end of semester interviews for all Officers, conducted by Media. Increase student involvement in and approval of big changes to the SU, for example last year’s rebrand.
Politics & Activism The new P&A groups haven’t really gotten off to a flying start and that needs to change. This is especially true considering the Bath council elections are taking place in the next academic year. As SU President, I will: • • •
Encourage more substantial presence for all parties on campus - for those that haven’t set up, I would reach out to the local parties to help them get started. Get students involved and registered to vote in the council elections in 2019, so that the student vote is taken seriously and the council can address our concerns. Hold a debate during Freshers’ Week and sustain political activity with support from the SU.
There is a lot more I want to deliver, so make sure you follow my social media for more information. Remember, Vote Les4Pres! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Les4Pres/
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PRESIDENTT
Lester Buxton
PRESIDENT
Cameron Standring Standring For You! University’s an important time in your life, not just for getting your degree, but for discovering who you are. As such, the student experience needs to be the best it can possibly be, but in recent years student satisfaction has fallen and the University has been getting all the wrong sort of attention. Bath is a great university, but it can be better than great, and I won’t be content until we lead the country in student satisfaction again. That begins with the Student Union, and it’s why I’m running to be your next SU President. Standring for Transparency With the recent controversy surrounding the University’s governance, now is the time to restore faith in senior management. I’ll push for as much open communication as possible from the University in the wake of the Halpin Partnership’s governance effectiveness review to get the highest possible student participation in the way the University runs. The SU can also do more to communicate with students. I’ll make regular updates on the progress of SU policies and what I’m up to, so that you can make sure the SU is prioritising the issues that matter most to you. Standring for Support Students can be put under a lot of stress at university, and it’s important that everything is done to get students the support they need to maintain their mental health. I’ll promote not only awareness, but understanding of mental health issues, integrate support services with the SU website and secure mental health as a top priority for the SU and the University. Standring for Space When the new School of Management building is completed, I’ll endeavour to secure as much of the space freed up across campus for student social and study spaces. I’ll also encourage better use of existing spaces by making sure you can see all current available student spaces online. Standring for Savings Everybody likes having a little extra money, so I’ll work on an SU loyalty programme to reward you for spending money on SU products, letting your money go further with the SU. Standring for International Students International students are making up more and more of the student body, so it’s more important now than ever to address international student issues. In particular, advertising language cafés to home students to promote integration, promoting student support services in a variety of languages, and ensuring all students have access to guarantors. Standring for Media Media groups at Bath are the students’ eyes, ears and voice. And I’ll do everything I can to give them the funding, freedom and recognition they need and deserve, so that all students have the opportunity to keep up to date and be heard. Standring for Transportation Buses on campus can always be better, and I’ll work with First to ensure that they understand student needs as they plan changes over the summer. Vote Cameron Standring for SU President!
#StandringForYou More than a manifesto - Follow the campaign: fb.me/StandringForYou
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I’m Kim, your current Activities Officer, and I have worked hard to secure many great wins; • Increased the Societies budgets, securing an additional £5000. • Guaranteed a training budget for Backstage every year. • Bettered the SU’s relationship with The Edge. • Strengthened student priority in The Edge during Term Time. • Restructured the Tier System for Societies. • Revamped Society General Meetings allowing for more discussion based topics. • Enhanced Refresh Week’s layout making it easier for you to see what’s on offer. • Improved environmental practices across campus. • Reduced the cost of student events, such as Masquerade Ball. If I am re-elected as your Activities Officer, I will continue the hard work I have put in this year to ensure that everyone has a fantastic experience. I will be able to hit the ground running without having to learn how to do the job, gaining valuable productive time in the summer. MY PRIORITIES: THE EDGE Continue this year’s success in working with The Edge and further improve their relationship with The SU. • Secure a commitment to student priority during term time. • Improve the storage facilities in The Edge. • Further facilitate efficient use of the space. • Reduce the number of lectures in The Edge Theatre. SOCIETIES Perform a review of the effectiveness of the current society documentation. Improve the transparency and efficiency of the Societies Executive. Introduce an Executive Review which would ensure that the Executive is appropriately supporting all Societies and can be held accountable for its actions. INCLUSIVITY Work with the Race Equality group to develop an app which will show you the cultural hotspots in Bath to provide a more inclusive experience! Work with the International Students Association to provide a food festival for all, introducing people to food and cultures from around the world. ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Lobby the University to reduce the use of plastics on campus. Work with ahs to establish a regular Farmers Market on campus. Have a regular, cheap and easy to access local fruit and veg stall. Create a sustainability award to encourage student groups to reduce their environmental impact and provide recognition for doing so. TRAINING Provide training for all new Committee members by developing our training calendar, overseeing a new process for handovers and organising a Societies Committee Conference. Review the role resources that we have on the SU website for our society committee members, making life easier for our student leaders and trying to place everything in one place. STUDENT DEVELOPMENT Continue the Bath Award Review to ensure that it’s more accessible allowing more students to complete this fantastic award. Run a second Student Leader Conference following this year’s successful debut. WHY VOTE FOR ME? I’ve always been really involved in the SU and believe my experience, knowledge and proactive attitude shows I am ready to step up again for another year. Small Person, Big Responsibility. Kim2Win for Activities, AGAIN!
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To find out more visit: Facebook.com/Kim2Win Instagram.com/kim2winactivities
ACTIVITIES
Kimberley Pickett-McAtackney
EDUCATION
Tamara Reid TIME 4 T
Who is Tamara? Hi, my name is Tamara Reid! I’m a final year Sport and Exercise Science student. Throughout university I have been an Academic Representative at both the course and departmental level. I’ve loved every second of it. My passion for inclusivity, equality and diversity works to give a voice to all students and bring visibility to key issues. As your Education Officer, I would continue to fight for these issues and commit to long-term change that will be experienced by the whole student body. Tamara’s Top Teas: Tackling the Attainment Gap? • Increase awareness of the attainment gaps; BME, disability and international. • Highlight support available to students who are disadvantaged by these attainment gaps. • Campaign for an inclusive curriculum as part of the transformational changes that will be affecting all programmes. • Support the internationalisation of the curriculum to include more diverse perspectives. Improving Academic Representation • ‘Town hall’ style forums open to all students with myself and the Vice Chancellor for Learning & Teaching twice a semester. • Increase student representation at the departmental level. • Increase visibility and access of resources available to Academic Representatives. Placements • Lobby for more paid placements and some form of financial support for those on unpaid placements • Encourage university to increase the number of paid placements available on campus. • More contact with placement tutors to ensure wellbeing whilst away from university. Learning Commons • Push for the University to invest in a learning commons in Oldfield Park. • Improve the quality and increase awareness of learning commons. E-Learning • Continue pushing for increased Panopto uptake. • Inform staff and students of the E-Learning Tools Resource Hub. Mental Health & Wellbeing • Provide free fruit and pet support during revision season. • Equip academics with support and training to better support and signpost students. Transparency on Scaling & Capping Marks • Ensure you are being made aware of how and when scaling of exam marks is used. • Greater transparency from the start of your degree on how your marks are capped. Student & Staff Accountability & Expectations • Increase awareness of the Staff-Student Partnership Agreement. • Produce a condensed and comprehensive version that is readily accessible. Transparency on All Things Education • Clarity on what your tuition fees are spent on and contribute to. • Improve communication between the SU and students through a bi-weekly update. • Find me on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook @ttime4edu. You can also email at tr427@bath.ac.uk with any questions. Remember: Think Tea, Think me, Vote T for education!
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Jack Kitchen
I am an experienced candidate, having represented students on academic, faculty and institutional levels for the past 3 years. As the university goes through a period of change, particularly with a new Vice-Chancellor, I believe my ambitions are realistic, achievable and representative of students’ needs. MY AMBITIONS, IF ELECTED: ENSURE AVAILABILITY OF STUDY SPACE • •
Ensure effective use of our existing study space, extending opening hours and making more rooms available for study during peak periods. Continue campaigning for a library expansion.
INCREASE USE OF PANOPTO • Pressure the University to increase lecture recordings, whilst also encouraging the University to make the necessary investment to have lecture recording facilities in every lecture room. • Make the first lecture available to view when choosing modules. • Where students have the right to recorded lectures under Disability Access Plans, I will work with the dis ability service team to ensure that they are enforced. IMPROVE FEEDBACK • Work towards clearer feedback following exams, and easier access to exam scripts if marks are not as ex -pected. • Encourage departments to make previous years’ ‘generic assessment feedback’ available prior to exams or coursework deadlines. • Raise awareness of university policy, so students know when to expect coursework marks back and enforce the ‘3-week rule’. • Ensure full transparency into mark scaling, not just when students have raised issues with a unit. REFRESH THE REPRESENTATION SYSTEM AND HEAR THE STUDENT VOICE • Overhaul faculty representation, increasing the support for Faculty Reps to engage with academic reps (eg through faculty forums), and to run more academic campaigns. • Review the running of Staff and Student Liaison Committees, working towards greater engagement with reps and more meaningful discussions, plus additional training and support for student SSLC chairs. • Ensure every department has at least one ‘Open SSLC’, so that students have an effective forum to raise their concerns to reps. • Introduce a second round of unit evaluations after assessments, giving students a second chance to voice opinions. CAMPAIGN FOR MORE PLACEMENT SUPPORT • Adopt placement feedback forms across the university, as they provide invaluable insight into companies and recruitment processes. • Campaign to increase funding for low / unpaid placement students. • Increase engagement with students on placement by introducing placement reps and ensuring frequent, relevant communications from both the SU and placement tutors. • Ensure that welfare and mental health support is both available and easily accessible for placement students. SUPPORT FOR POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION • Work with the skills development team to increase opportunities for postgraduate taught students and con tinue to address issues as they arise during the year. • Continue pressuring the University to improve supervision support for doctoral students and a better train -ing programme for postgraduates who teach. ENSURE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION • The university is undergoing a ‘curriculum transformation’ programme in order to reduce assessment and improve the quality of feedback; I will work to ensure meaningful student involvement during this process. • I will push for a more inclusive curriculum, reflecting the diversity of student backgrounds and experiences. So, make sure to #BackJack for Education! Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram: @backjack4ed
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EDUCATION
#BackJack for your next Education Officer!
SPORT
ANDY GALLOWAY
Sport at Bath has given me so much, and I have given a lot back… But not enough just yet! Through my roles on the Basketball and Sport Executive Committees, I have gained the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to excel in the role of Sport Officer. If elected, I would work across a range of issues, including: Welfare – a hugely important area I have already specialised this year • Create a scheme encompassing all sport-related welfare services; achieving better wellbeing and performance for all students • Provide complete training to Welfare and Inclusivity Officers in your clubs; ensuring they have the support they need Alumni Event - contact is often lost with our former students after graduation – let’s change that! • I’ll bring back previous athletes for a big competition over a weekend and a night at the SU! • A great opportunity for students to network, whilst promoting the Alumni Fund Facilities – too much demand, too little supply • Track usage of bookings; allowing additional sessions to be booked by clubs at late notice • Make clubs aware earlier in advance when sessions will be cancelled due to external events • Continue the battle for a 3G pitch • Work with the SU President to have buses arrive at campus before 7am, so our fantastic facilities can be utilised earlier • Push the Sports Department to implement the BUCS UNIversal Gym program here at Bath; allowing you to use your gym membership at over 50 universities across the country Value – sport at Bath is great value, but it could be better for some • Work to protect the cost of gym memberships once the new gym is built • Create a ‘classes-only’ gym membership – a cheaper option for those only taking part in group activi -ties • Work with the new Club Development Officer and Recreational Sport Coordinator to expand the rec -reational offer Performance – improvement for everyone, not just the elite • Evening BUCS Athlete Support and Development sessions to allow greater attendance • Online strength and conditioning programs for athletes to work towards specific goals without the need for present coaches Rewards – incentives to volunteer for and support our amazing sports clubs • Vouchers rewarding game day supporters with discounts at the SU on Wednesdays • Find appropriate times for Volunteer Recognition Sessions – not Wednesday afternoons! Kit - the Surridge contract expires in 2019 • Strive for the best possible new deal • Provide transparency over how decisions are made and ensure that student voices are heard during the tender process More! • Microwaves in the STV so you can eat after a session, without having to trek to Limetree or the SU • Move SCORE ticket sale away from Monday at 8am when lots of teams are training Most importantly, I will do my best to ensure the voices and ideas of students are heard. Together, we can provide the best possible experience for everyone. Speak to me about my manifesto or generally have a chat via Facebook and Instagram: @TheAndyMan4Sport Vote for The AndyMan: the golden ticket for sport at Bath!
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Hi, my name is Ed Dunkley, I’m a final year languages student and I’m running to be your next Sport Officer!
I’ve been involved in SU Sport throughout my time at Bath, contributing to recreational sport through my position on the Sports Exec and earlier initiatives. I’ve introduced new ways for students to participate in recreational competitions, from Superstars to the Inter Cultural Societies League. I am also on the Water Polo committee, where I have worked to improve inclusivity by running a variety of socials accessible to all. I’ve also helped reform training time, increasing attendance and pushing to order additional goals to make each session more effective. If elected my priorities will be: A More Accessible Gym Students fork out ridiculous amounts of money at the start of each academic year, and so I will secure a monthly payment option for gym memberships to help spread the cost. I will also challenge the sport department to provide a more competitive price structure for the gym. I will ensure that everyone can benefit from the gym, introducing beginner, female, and disability-only sessions in the new cardio area, increasing inclusivity and promoting wellbeing in sport. SU App + Better Advertising The idea of an SU App has been circulating for some time. I will stress the benefits of an app on student sport, push for its creation and ensure that, when developed, it contains everything that students need and want. The demand for recreational and spectator sport is there – this will ensure students who want to participate get all the information they need. Training Time Increasing training time will improve both our recreational offer and performance in BUCS. I will challenge the University Sports Department and work with your feedback to ensure priority to student bookings in more cases. I will also secure free additional training time off-campus, supplementing our existing sporting offer. Kit I will ensure that the new kit contract is in line with student demand by looking at survey data and engaging as many of you as possible in the process. Supplier, quality, cost and branding are all things I will factor in to give you kit you are proud to wear. 3G Pitch I will stress the benefits of a 3G Pitch to all groups of students and kick-start a student-led campaign that will highlight its importance to both recreational and performance sport, giving the University no choice but to incorporate it into its plans going forward. Coaching I’ve experienced first-hand the benefit of coaching this year and this should be the case for more of you. I will support our current coaches, increase opportunities for student coaches by providing more local, free training and work with teams who do not have access to coaching to resolve this issue. Vote Dunkley for Sport and don’t forget to show your support with #DunkForDunkley.
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For more information visit: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/DunkForDunkley/ Instagram - @dunkfordunkley Twitter – @DunkForDunkley Snapchat - @DunkForDunkley
SPORT
Ed Dunkley
SPORT
Harshit Godha Intro In this manifesto, I suggest a sport cultural branding strategy (Holt and Cameron, 2013) to re-position Bath to compete with the Ivy league, and even make them irrelevant. The macro environment The University of Bath ranks 160 internationally by QS. However, we have been ranked 5th by Guardian, ahead of Nottingham and Manchester, however both just happen to rank better than us in QS. The micro environment This discrepancy on national and international league tables doesn’t seem right. Because of this, even the academic staff at our university, especially the tribal marketers, feel the need to send their kids to other universities. Its all political Furthermore, because of my cultural conditioning, I think this discrepancy on national and international league tables is due to political lobbying and ideological warfare. University of Bath champions patriarchy (take a closer look at our logo and branding), where as Quacquarelli Symonds is a feminist organisation It doesn’t take a genius from Harvard to understand that the two don’t go well together (depth psychology of organisations). Also, my gut instinct tells me that league table rankings can be bought and sold, and the highest bidder gets the top slot because money talks. Ideological opportunity - Rock her like a Hurricane However, we are sitting on a goldmine, the Times and the Sunday Times Named us as The Sports University of the Year, 2018, and we just happen to have Bath Rugby i.e American Football (change a few rules here and there, its quite similar really). As sports has the power to change the world (Mandela), certainly its possible, you just need the right salesmanship. Objective If I get elected I suggest getting team Bath to sponsor athletes from Bath Rugby, train them for American football and get them to compete with American Universities in the states. As perceptions change easily, attitudes not so much and values never change (ask any lecturer in the marketing department) we can easily change the perception through a bit of aggressive branding, of course. Crafting cultural strategy – the marketing remix Product Bath’s team in American football, competing in American college sports against the likes of Ivy League. Place United States (Australia too, may be) Sponsorships Securing sponsorships is about sales. The right pitch can get sponsors like Nike, AKQA (founded by a Bath drop-out), Skins, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple etc, because how did we secure the title of the best sports university here in the first place? (Hint: 6 degrees of separation) People Motivation is where its at, coaches, mascot and cheerleaders can get the team to accomplish what previously never was in the consideration set. Promotion If we can get there, then even Super bowl Sunday isn’t a distant dream. Conclusion Vote for me and see the magic happen. Its all sales really.
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Hello people. I want to be chief of sporting relations at the university. what do i want to do. Good question, thanks for asking. I want to: disband all team sports , no one really likes them and they drain potential ice rink budget. no more score, if you want something fun to do on wednesdays, ill be doing a 1000 peice puzzle every week feel free to join!! let cows on the astro pitches, they will keep the grass short. freeze the pool so we can make a dope ice rink and finally get a curl on ;) get rid of the name SU sport from stuff , its not very inclusive is it? how bout we call SU good times, cuz thats all we’re gonna be having Introduce compulsory surf memberships, this will increase student wellbeing by like 1000% hide half of the SU sporty budget on campus for students to find and spend on things they actually enjoy as opposed to lame membership fees lets finally replace parade with a big slip and slide students will get to places 20% more quickly and have 300% more fun. Anyone not sliding will face disciplinary action. lets fill the lake with a total wipe out course,anyone who fails the course has to resit the year maybe worse.... fill founders hall with peng lazer tag arena with actual lasers from the physics department , last person standing gets a bid medal Lets let the SU sport officer have a year long holiday so they can relax and get a tan on lets make bath uni a really fun place , and have good time lots of love papa xxxx
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SPORT
Jake Pitchers
COMMUNITY
Alisha Lobo
My name is Alisha Lobo and I am a final year politics and IR international student running to be your next Community Officer! In my second year I was Lead Peer Mentor, Freshers’ Week Captain and News and Comment Editor of bathimpact. After my placement in India, I was Freshers’ Week Events Manager for FW2017. I also deliver ‘how to be inclusive’ and bystander training to students whilst also being Editor–inChief of Bath Time. Throughout my time here I have campaigned on housing, VC pay, opposing PREVENT and #NeverOK whilst also attending as many Happy Hours as possible. As your next community officer, I hope to: Diversity and Support Continue to support and encourage D&S groups to work collaboratively on events, information sessions and run joint campaigns across campus alongside other societies within the SU and University departments i.e. LGBT/international students and mental health, ERASMUS and ISA etc. Lobby to increase budgets for underfunded D&S groups Provide training to media groups at the beginning of the year on how to cover D&S groups respectfully and effectively Volunteering Continue to support and increase the publicity of the work that volunteering groups do within the local community International Students Lobby the University to reduce the number of visa checks Improve the visibility and quality of the University rent guarantor scheme Housing Oppose any new plans for unaffordable student housing across Bath by the University, local council, and private developers Work with the local council to assess the possibility of students living with elderly residents for cheaper rent to better address the shortfall of housing for students and loneliness amongst the elderly Create an extensive housing report clearly outlining the SU position on the current provisions, costs, estate agent experience, quality of housing, and the overall student housing experience Mental Health Launch a campaign addressing the stigmas surrounding male mental health Provide sessions on how to effectively support a friend or family member suffering from mental health issues Town and Gown Relations Introduce an active citizen award to encourage student involvement and engagement within the local community Faith Increase the visibility of faith groups on campus and the work that they do, especially during Freshers’ Week and a Faith Awareness Week during the year Seek to improve their representation through the Socs Faith and Cultural rep also sitting on the D&S Exec and/ or regular meetings with all of the chairs Sport Develop inclusivity strategies for each teams’ respective Welfare and Inclusivity Officer that are also in line with national governing bodies when necessary #NeverOK Continue to increase the awareness of #NeverOK across campus and work to provide bystander training to as many students as possible The SU has been a wonderful source of support, development, and fun during my time here at Bath, and I would love to be a part of giving back and improving the experience for you all. Follow my campaign on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat – Alisha for Community. Vote Alisha for Community!
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I deeply care and feel strongly about the issues that students of this amazing community face every day. I would be thrilled to put my skills, organisation, and passion at your service; if elected, here’s what I’m going to do: Your Welfare
• • • • • •
• Promote safe nightlife off campus. I will: • Create a framework for increased collaboration between the Students Union and venues in town Increase cooperation with Nightwatch to improve street safety in Bath during weekends. Expand the Never Okay and Good Night Out campaigns to maintain the movement against sexual haras -ment, and to tackle issues such as racial and LGBT+ harassment. Provide free sexual health tests and products on campus Work with Accommodation and Hospitality Services (AHS) in order to create a deal on the purchase of keep cups and lunch boxes to promote and incentivise sustainability on campus. Reform the Student Hardship Fund and Short Loan System programmes to make them more accessible for students in need Lobby Fresh to lower the prices of basic food and hygiene items, ensuring everybody has greater access to a healthy diet and necessary sanitary products.
Mental Health • • •
Increase the number of counsellors available at the university: the service is at full capacity and waiting times need to be shortened. Link the counselling team to SU support groups (such as Nightline and Student Minds) to raise awareness within the student body more effectively. Ensure students’ personal tutors receive mental health training prior the beginning of the academic year.
A University for everyone • Liaise with the Activities Officer to ensure the voice students of all backgrounds are represented in their groups by creating Inclusivity Reps in societies’ committees. • Work to make cultural festivals more central: Promote Black History Month, LGBT+ History Month, and international events. • Ensure cultural societies do not have to reach 30 members: some communities are small, but deserve to be recognised. • Increase the accessibility of campus areas and the Virgil Building for disabled students and staff members. • Create a platform for prospective students to direct specific questions to relevant Diversity & Support Groups. • Increase the number of gender-neutral toilets on campus • Increase the capacity of the Writing Skills Centre by reducing waiting times. This has been a consistent issue this year, particularly affecting International students. • Promote incentives to SU groups who successfully participate in the Inclusivity Awards. • Work with volunteering groups to support their causes as well as expand their outreach to the local com -munity. Housing • Work with AHS to lower rent on a number of student accommodations, to keep it affordable for students of -lower socioeconomic backgrounds to study at Bath. • Create a landlord and agency rating review platform, for past students to share their experiences with let -ting agencies and landlords. • Lobby to reinstate the landlord accreditation scheme, where owners need to meet basic requirements and are held accountable if they do not meet them. • Cooperate with the local council to ensure that new housing policies positively affect the availability of student housing in Bath.
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COMMUNITY
Francesco Masala
COMMUNITY
Zeid Truscott
Here is why you should Trust In Truscott to be your Community Officer. MENTAL HEALTH Student mental health support is a massive problem. If elected I will: • Look into widening provision of Student Services, ensuring greater continuing care and higher-level support. • Investigate additional mental health support for BME and International Stu -dents to reduce drop-out rates and close attainment gaps. • Push for more study spaces on campus to reduce stress during assessment periods, including a library extension. HOUSING Housing is a huge issue for us. If elected I will: • Lobby the University to cap overall student numbers to prevent overcrowding and aid house hunting. • Create a Voluntary Part-Time Housing Officer to run campaigns and assist with housing issues. • Create an online housing forum where other students can rate agents, landlords and houses. • Lobby the council to limit the rent of future private student accommodation developments in Bath. WELFARE Student welfare is what the SU is here for! Elect me and I will: • Run a ‘Free Period’ campaign to raise awareness of the cost of sanitary products, with the hope of get ting free or cost price sanitary products stocked in the SU. • Run a safe drug use campaign with the SU, providing drug testing kits. • Get the Plug to sell toast as a more affordable food option. NAVIGATING SU & UNIVERSITY SERVICES Finding out what services are available and how to access them can be complicated. If elected I will: • Create a series of SU/Uni guides for a variety of issues including; Mental Health, Self-Care, Housing, Volunteering and LGBT+ support. VOLUNTEERING Student volunteers do great work which we should be shouting about. Elect me and I will: • Push for greater connection with the local community and showcase the work student volunteers do. • Publicise where the hours volunteered, and money donated to V-Team and RAG go! EQUALITY & DIVERSITY Elect me and I will: • Expand the #NeverOK campaign to focus on reporting and making the SU a hate crime reporting centre. • Lobby the University to make our campus more accessible, with all future refurbishments meeting current standards. • Run a ‘Liberating my Curriculum’ campaign to find out what students want to see from the University as part of its curriculum review. • Run a ‘Prevent’ awareness campaign to raise the profile of government surveillance of students. DIVERSITY & SUPPORT D&S groups do a lot to support students, but they need a bit of help too! If elected I will: • Provide more tailored committee training to help with group success and handover between years. • Provide additional support for large scale events such as Black History Month, LGBT+ History Month & International Women’s Day • Move D&S group finances online. • Create Voluntary Part-Time Officers which run campaigns and engage with the wider student body around topics like LGBT+ and Mental Health. So please Trust in Truscott and vote Zeid Truscott for Community Officer
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Hello everyone! My name is Francisco, I am a 4th year PhD student in Mathematics and I want to be your Postgraduate Officer for 2018/19! Before starting my PhD in Bath, I was both an undergraduate and a Masters’ student, so no matter the level you are in your studies, I believe I have the right skills to represent you and to bring substantial improvements to student experience!
I am very excited with the possibility of working full time as a Postgraduate Officer. I have been involved with student activites and representative posts since my early times as an undergraduate in Brazil. Back then, I served as the director of the DCE-USP (Students Union at the University of Sao Paulo), director at CAMat (Students Union at the Mathematics and Statistics Institute at USP), as well as a student member in some of the university councils. More recently, I served a member of SSLC in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Bath. Currently, I am the President of the University of Bath Student Chapter of SIAM and IMA. #FranciscoFightAndForward A few of the points I will be working hard on are: 1) Continuation of current officer’s job: printing quota for all students, extra space for study both on and off campus and more... The current SU officers have been working hard towards very important points that would bring a lot of benefit for all students, in particular for all the postgraduates, as the introduction of printing quotas and the increase of common study space on campus and in town. It can take a long time before these become a reality and it is essential that the next officer continues the work in progress. 2) Your voice heard at the university: make sure students are adequately represented in all university committees. After being on the news for not nice reasons, the university is preparing for big changes in its governance structure as a consequence of the HEFCE report. I will push hard to make sure that students’ demands are listened to through this process and that student representation reaches all the main and secondary instances. 3) International students: I understand you! Over 50% of the postgraduate students (Masters’ and PhD) in Bath are from abroad - over 100 countries! As a Tier 4 international student, I do understand your needs and I will be working on a direct channel with you. As an example, one of the main complaints from international students I’ve heard concerns getting help with academic writing and proofreading in the English language: although the Academic Skills Centre do a very good job, it can take a few weeks until they get a 1 to 1 appointment, and sometimes it is hard to get help before a deadline. 4) Teaching matters for everyone: Improve the working condition for students who teach. The working conditions for students who teach has become a major problem over the last year: according to a recent SU’s report, Bath has the lowest pay rate among all GW4 universities. Furthermore, some students are not paid for their compulsory training sessions and activities and the tutorials and seminar classes have increased substantially in some departments. One of my priorities is to work towards a better deal for all the students who teach at this university and bring concrete improvements to the aforementioned points. 5) Bench fees: research students should not spend money out their pockets to pay for compulsory university requirements such as binding a thesis (two copies are usually required costing at least £50), printing services and mandatory training courses. I will push for a better regulation in this matter and to make sure the bench fees are available to students until they graduate. Some of my other priorities are: • Enough office space for research students and to ensure a high quality of supervision for Doctoral Students. • Student stress and mental heath issues: effective actions to reduce stress and to ensure enough support when needed. • Integration between international students, societies and within the SU.
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POSTGRAD
Francisco Virissimo
POSTGRAD
Rishi Shah In Permanent Beta : Learning, Improving, Evolving. Hi, I’m Rishi, standing to be your 3rd Postgraduate Officer. I’m studying MSc International Management and I’m here to make a change in the university. Before coming to Bath, I’ve lived in Mumbai. I’ve worked at various domains. Worked in KPMG after undergrad degree, and later on joined a California-based fin-tech startup, Asset Vantage. I started up a passion project called Mumbai Riders in January 2016, inspired by my travels in Europe. We curate weekend experiences in the city of Mumbai, and grossed a customer base of 4800+ in 24 months. As your Postgraduate Officer, I would work on: Postgraduate disengagement • • •
One of my priorities would be to make sure Postgraduates are involved in networking events and strongly encourage interaction by organizing more PGA social events for PGT’s and PGR’s. Increase the number of lectures recorded. Engaging post-graduates in the campus activities and encouraging them to take part in lectures from other domains than the one they are studying. Helps postgraduates to expand their knowledge base and horizons.
Weekend Fun • •
Organize activities and fun evenings on the weekends more regularly, for postgraduates. Curate weekend excursions in and around Bath for those postgraduate candidates who’re interested in heading out for a day trip and not burdened with too much work that weekend.
Exam Papers •
Make an effort to improve lecture delivery and assessment pattern. From what I’ve observed in my lim -ited time here, I’ve seen most of the modules I’m studying in International Management’s exam papers having repeated questions from the previous years.
Feedback •
Raise awareness about the importance of “good” feedback and liaison with the management to work up a system to make this possible.
Student space •
It can be increasingly difficult to find a place to study on campus, as part of my job would be to develop flexible working space for YOU.
Lastly - Close Feedback Loop It is important for you to know what I will be working on and I will keep you constantly updated on what I’m doing, how I’m doing it and most importantly, why it is essential for me to do it. I understand that wanting change is not enough to bring it, we need to be the change we want to see and I know I can be that change! Please do not hesitate to get in touch with me through facebook or email rs2229@bath.ac.uk if you have any questions.
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Hi everyone! I am Scott Nielsen, an MSc student studying sustainable chemical engineering. I am Danish and have moved to the UK in 2008. Since then I have lived in six different countries exploring many different people and cultures. I finished my bachelor degree at Teesside University where I was heavily involved with the SU as Vice president of Enactus Teesside – a society dedicated to making the world a better place. The University of Bath is an amazing place to study, providing students with a first-class education and plethora of extracurricular activities. However, postgraduate students can find their studies overwhelming and unable to find time and energy to get involved with the SU, societies or sports. My goal is to create a community of postgraduate students, who will support each other and make our PG course a life experience. For the majority of us, postgraduate studies are the final stop before the career we have been preparing for. According to my experience, the “next step” after a PG course is the leading cause of worry and anxiety in our PG students. We are all aware education is essential, but for the majority of us, the reason we pursue education is to someday land our dream job. I am passionate about raising the awareness of the work done by our Career Services and provide in-depth career guidance for specific areas of study in our University. I believe I have an understanding of the postgraduate experience and a vision on how to improve it, while also possessing the right qualities to represent the views of postgraduate students across campus. Here are my campaign points I wish to run on: 1) Establish a PG travelling society As PG students we need a break sometimes. PG travelling society will organise weekend trips to nearby cities and landmarks at affordable prices. Only for our postgraduate students. 2) Increase employment involvement Postgraduates are often left to manage a large workload and looking for career prospects at the same time. Working with the career services, I aim to organise industry-specific workshops where different career options will be presented to you, dependent on your field of study. 3) Study spaces for postgraduates We all know what I am talking about. I will aim to solve this growing issue and hopefully allocate some space in the library specifically for PG students. 4) Postgraduate – SU disconnection I intend to improve the participation of postgraduates on campus with better communication with individual courses and make sure that the importance is well received in the fresher week and continued throughout the year. 5) Make printing affordable Make printing cheaper or introduce a yearly allocated allowance for dissertation and more significant assignments. 6) Build and maintain the improvement of lecture recordings and marking feedback Missing lectures due to unforeseen circumstances can be a great pain. I will work with the university to improve this and help make sure feedback on assignments is given within the set parameters. Thank you for taking the time to read my manifesto Scott Nielsen
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POSTGRAD
Scott Nielsen
POSTGRAD
Jiani Zhou Hi! I am Jiani Zhou and I want to be your SU Postgraduate Officer for 2018/19. I love the campus, I love my course, I love the people here and, of course, I love the ducks! I feel it is time for me to give something back. I am currently a Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) leader at the University’s Foreign Language Centre. Apart from this, my past experiences in Chinese Students and Scholars Association in Manchester have prepared me well for this role. I stand because I care – I am here to help you find and keep your extra-curricular passion! I know many students have their passion in sports – we are Team Bath! I am very keen on sports volunteering. Vote for me – you get an experienced volunteer! From you, for you! #JoinJiani Elect me as your Postgraduate Officer and I will work towards: • • • • • • • •
Making payment cheaper and more convenient at eateries across campus. I will work with the university to allow all students to top up library cards with money to spend on food and drink and receive a 10% discount when you pay with your library cards. Increasing Postgraduate involvement by getting hall reps and academic reps to help postgraduates know more about the activities available. I will also encourage societies and sport clubs to organize sessions for postgraduates, potentially mak ing use of the Inclusivity Award or providing additional incentives to ensure events continue through out summer. Continuing to work towards peer mentoring schemes available for all postgraduates. I would like to connect this scheme with Bath Connection, to get postgraduate students mentored by amazing alumni in their fields of study and utilise doctoral students who have experienced lectures and exams at Bath to mentor PGT students. For doctoral students, there is currently fairly new Post graduate Mentoring schemes in only two faculties. I will expand this scheme into more faculties and ensure students who start outside of September/October are included. Introducing a tailored careers service newsletter for all postgraduates. A newsletter highlighting target audience for certain talks will definitely make things clearer. I wil also lobby Careers Service to open more daily quick query sessions and to open appointment book -ing at least a day before. There are only 15 appointments available per day on average, despite this clearly substantial uptake. Fighting for more frequent and on-time bus services to the university both in and out of term time, especially regular U2 services on weekends. Caring more for postgraduates’ wellbeing by organizing more reach-out events, and making interna -tional students and distance learning students more inclusive. Helping PhD students get more support and suitable supervision. Holding regular Q&A sessions both online and on campus. This is your SU, and I want you to have your voice heard!
Check out the campaign: www.facebook.com/joinjiani #JoinJiani Jiani for Postgraduate Officer – Join Jiani
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Election Bingo! Every year, as students we are subjected to so many phrases repeated over and over and over again until our ears bleed at the mention of buses or the housing crisis. So to save yourself from ripping your hair out of frustration, why not partake in our Election bingo?
BEYOND THE MANIFESTOS We reached out to all of the candidates and asked them to tell Bath Time something that wasn’t on their manifesto. These are all who responded before the print deadline.
PRESIDENT
would look to campus, specifically I on n ee gr be to r sie ea d bonus I would have an de “I would like to make it ad an As s. pu m ca able cups on Buxton reduce the cost of reus reusable cup!” – Lester a th wi ne yo an r fo a free te open door policy with “Communication is the main barrier be tween students and information that st the SU. I will get all udents need, from of the tim etables to referend working on an app ums, into one place, that will allow the SU by to reach out to mor engage better than e students, and stud ever with the SU an ents to d University.” – Cam eron Standring
PM ld seem leadership runs in the family. The wou it So r. iste Min e Prim a from ded cen “I’m des ly) relats great Grandfather meaning we’re (distant also happens to be Helena Bonham Carter’ Alcock , maybe the celebrity showbiz will” – Eve ed too. So if the Politics didn’t do it for you
EDUCATION
an acame E41 is n d n a b r u O ve a called E41. t we also ha d a n th a b ly p n o o h t o ustic hip year. N th’s best aco d in our first a e v B li f o ll a rt e a p w “I’m , where astwood 41 E ra Reid r fo m y n ro be.” – Tama tu u o y n o y tl n “Achievemen demo curre t’s don’t includ e: · Driving: 7 atte m p ts , 1 lost wing mirro · First year place r. m e n t a pplications: em attention to d phasising my etaiil” – Jack K itchen
ACTIVITIES
the since I started here at s ow sh 16 of rt pa a “I have been m Pickett McAtackney University of Bath” - Ki
#BathSUElects
SPORT “In terms of somethi ng that’s not in my manifesto, my cam putting a joke in th paign team forbade ere and I think a joke me from encapsulates me fa across my favourite irly well, so I’ll just se joke at the momen nd you t: A man drove past end is nigh!’ I think me in a tractor shou it was Farmer Geddo tin g ‘the n.” – Ed Dunkley
sations tryend most of my conver sp I , ce Offi e Th of n fa g way “Andy mused... ‘As a bi e show.’” – Andy Gallo th m fro e ot qu e ur sc ing to drop in an ob “Hello, I am Jake Here are some excitin g and interesting facts about myself, hehe : •I’ve competed in ever y bucs competition fo r every sports cult even • I’ve once jumped over larping 4 ducks, and have atte mpted to do five ... May • I’m not in the winter be I’ll try six when I wi Olympics cuz I lost my n coat, woops! •Im the most successfu l Galloway sister” – Jake Pitchers “Am bapt ised in th e holy rive r of rock n roll.” – Ha rshit God ha
COMMUNITY
my first nds and I were sitting by the lake and I saw “When I first arrived in Bath, my new frie dog or a a r the duck thinking you could pet it like ever duck. I was so amazed and chased afte with them, the poor international student and I live cat....Thankfully, my friends didn’t judge kets, and dinner, wandering around Christmas mar t roas day Sun first my ing Hav on. rs yea three a lot of firsts.” - Alisha Lobo the British day drinking, Bath has given me
“As well as act ing, which is m y passion, I lik directing. You e playing arou should totally nd with filmin stay tuned wit what we have g and h my campaign to show you!” page if you wa – Francesco M nt to see asala “Hi! I am J ian ‘good’ wh i and I would love POSTGRAD to share w ile ‘ni’ me ans ‘girl’, it h would be y o u the mean so I guess somethin ing o the closes g like ‘Go watch spo t o equivalen f my name. ‘Jia’ m dfellow’. I rts a lot a eans ce of my n enjo nd Hiroyuki T ame in En omita (gy my all-time favour y ambient music a g lish nd I love S ite athlet mnast).” es are Rau - Jiani Zho igur Ros! I l Gonzale u z (football er) and hen I pretty bad student! W a be to ed us I t… bu athematics ams. I really “I am doing a PhD in M did quite bad in the ex d an es ss cla hs at M t mos how he found was in school I skipped ysics teacher told me Ph y m en wh d ge then an didn’t like Maths! It ch like nonsense to me. He d de un so at Th . ics ys than Ph ’s a lot cooler Maths more concrete I said “yes, I think that es ut in m w fe a r te d I’ve af went to the board and sparked my curiosity an gs in th ed ain pl ex he The way dream of than Physics indeed!”. months away from my st ju I’m w No . ce sin ever been studying Maths - Francisco Viríssimo t!” becoming a scientis
President Candidates
Our
These are the personal opinions
Given that the time of Glynis is soon to be over, candidates for President undoubtedly have the potential to make a huge impact over the next year. Eve Alcock’s manifesto is arguably the most detailed of the three running for President, thankfully avoiding many of the empty buzzword-filled sentences we see far too often. In particular, she is the only candidate to mention that a library extension may very well be possible under a new VC. Moreover, her idea to lobby First Bus for real time GPS views of bus locations would certainly help any of us who are far too drunk to look up the bus timetable. However, her manifesto may contain too many points to be feasible.Cameron Standring’s manifesto made frequent use of puns, making us wonder if we too would run for SU officer if our name fit such a convenient catchphrase. His dedication to mental health definitely reflects a very topical issue on campus. However, his manifesto was the vaguest of the three; although we do appreciate the alleged commitment to Media. Finally, Lester Buxton’s idea to get students behind Council elections will indisputably be beneficial in the ongoing struggles between student housing and Council caps. That being said, his point to look for additional space on campus seems a touch too open ended to guarantee concrete results.
Sports Candidates Andy Galloway clearly already boasts first-hand experience of university sport and its administration. Notable policies of his include the integration of welfare services, the arrival of earlier buses to ensure the maximum usage of the STV, and new ‘classes-only’ gym memberships – this final idea likely to prove popular with a broad range of students. Ed Dunkley focuses on issues of accessibility, technology and coaching. A standout idea is the development of a Student Union smart phone app that can be used to access information such as class times at the press of a button; but this may prove to be too ambitious given the budget and time required for such a project. Harshit’s Godha’s manifesto focuses on how Bath could better compete against its higher education rivals through the advertisement and sponsorship of its respective teams and athletes. Apparently, ‘it’s all in the sales’. However, given the current criticisms of the marketization of higher education, this manifesto may have been a touch tone deaf. Jake Pitchers is unquestionably the most, let’s say, ‘alternative’ of the sport officer manifestos…we’ll let you make your own mind up on him.
Education Candidates Both campaigners have picked up on the curriculum change and the need for it to be ‘inclusive’, but on the issue of diversity and inclusion Tamara seems to be more keen. Her very Athenian idea of a “town hall style” of forum with the VC and students every semester is also relevant. The #BackJack campaign focuses on the usual stuff: more study space, increasing use of panopto, louder student voice through open SSLCs. A few detail points do have excellent merit: the second round of unit evaluation after assessment from Jack, learning commons in Oldfield Park and transparency on use of tuition fees. Some points are too vaguely mentioned: on student wellbeing, not only does Jack not even mention it, but Tamara speaks of “equipping academics with support”. One sadly highly unrealistic point is the lobby for ending unpaid placements; unfortunately, that would require a cultural corporate change at national level that students are victims of; unfortunately, we’re not really actors of change on the labour market.
Activities Candidate Kim Pickett-McAtackney has the double advantage to her manifesto, being both a returning candidate and literally the only person you can currently vote for beyond R.O.N. We’re a big fan
Verdict of the Bath Time editors.
of her initiative to create a Sustainability Award for student groups who reduce their environmental impact, even if we suspect that the quantities of the paper you’re reading that we produce may make us ineligible. However, the idea of a Race Equality group app that shows cultural hotspots in Bath seems a little far-fetched; given the amount of time and money it takes to develop an app from scratch, would a section on the website not be more plausible?
Community Candidates The manifestos for the post of Communities Officer are refreshingly varied, with each showing different priorities and few overlapping ideas. Alisha Lobo’s idea of providing training for Media groups on covering Diversity and Inclusion groups is an interesting and sensible proposal. However, she would need to provide more information on if there is openness among students to be housed with elderly residents. One of Francesco Masala’s ideas is to expand the #neverok campaign, that has already been initiated this year under Ben Palmer, to include racial discrimination and bullying. However, it is not made clear enough what his idea on the reformation of the student hardship fund to improve access would entail - as, at the moment, students can get information and submit an application on the university website. Although the housing forum would be a great initiative, Zeid’s idea to create yet another forum may not take off among students due to a level of Facebook group fatigue. While this is every Bath students’ dream come true, it is unrealistic that lobbying the council to keep rent prices for private accommodation low will yield outcomes. Creating part time officer posts is possible and a good idea (Loughborough, with a total of 20 executive officers have split up positions in a similar way) but will be a long-term process. It is also unclear from the manifesto whether this position would be paid, in which case this would raise questions around budget. Finally, we can’t help but wonder, given our survey earlier this year on sexual harassment experiences on campus and the overwhelming feedback was that reporting of harassment crimes was not transparent or effective at the University: should a candidate have addressed this?
Post-grad Candidates Francisco wants to continue the work of the current SU officers to ensure continuity as he understands that things take time. Ultimately, he makes good points for the integration of International students within the SU and societies, lowering bench fees and bettering the proof reading services - but he doesn’t tell us how he intends to do this. A lot of hopeful plans, but perhaps a little unrealistic. Rishi’s main points are about engaging postgraduate students in social interaction through socials, weekend excursions and activities. He will put this into motion by strongly encouraging postgraduates to get involved. Rishi also wants to encourage postgraduate students to “take part in lectures from other domains than the one they are studying” - but why would postgraduates want to do that? Their workload is large enough as it is. Scott wants to increase study space and make printing cheaper, but doesn’t tell us how he intends to do this. However, the concept of increasing career services and industry-specific workshops is one that could be achieved and that will be of great use to postgraduate students. Jiani wants to make eateries cheaper and more convenient, through topping up library cards and then getting 10% off for using a library card to pay. While this is an interesting idea, again, Jiani doesn’t mention how she will integrate this and who will get these library cards. Nonetheless, Jiani does want to create a peer mentoring scheme through Bath Connection to have postgraduate students mentored by alumni, which is a fantastic idea (but Bath Connection sort of already do this).